UK Car Customer Satisfaction Index

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J.D. Power and Associates and What Car? report:

Lexus and Skoda Ranked First and Second in
UK Car Customer Satisfaction Index

Japanese Carmakers Continue to Lead British and Europeans for Satisfaction

20 April 2004, LONDON – Following only Japanese luxury brand Lexus, Czech carmaker Skoda is ranked second in the J.D. Power and Associates/WhatCar? magazine 2004 Car Customer Satisfaction Study SM, released today.

Lexus tops the customer satisfaction rankings for the fourth year running and achieves the highest score ever in the report’s 11-year history with an overall satisfaction score of 878, an increase of 17 index points on 2003. Jumping two rank positions since 2003, Skoda follows Lexus in second place with 852 index points, an increase of 16 points on last year’s results. Mazda, which makes the most significant improvement in customer satisfaction since 2003, ranks third overall, increasing 38 points to 845.

Overall customer satisfaction across the UK has increased by three index points with Japanese brands in general remaining the most satisfying to own. Of the top 20 models, 14 are manufactured by Japanese companies, with the Honda Jazz ranking as the most satisfying car overall.

While Mini is included in the study for the first time, satisfaction with many British and other European brands remains well behind most Japanese competitors. Vauxhall is one local manufacturer to buck this trend. The UK’s second-largest brand has improved three times faster than the industry average since 2001, representing the most significant improvement by a brand over this period.

Commenting on the 2004 results, Dave Sargent, Director of European operations at J.D. Power and Associates, says, "While the performance of Lexus continues to impress, Skoda’s emergence as one of the top-ranked manufacturers is a surprising success story to many, considering its image just a decade ago. However, the study does show a disappointing performance from some European brands, which still have some way to go to compete with the levels of customer satisfaction enjoyed by owners of most Japanese car brands."

The 2004 J.D. Power and Associates/What Car? study is based on the evaluation of more than 23,000 owners of ‘51’ and ‘02’ registration vehicles, after an average of two years on the road and covers 33 brands and 120 models. Owners provide detailed evaluations of their vehicles and dealers, covering 77 attributes, grouped into four factors of satisfaction. The importance of each measure is shown as a percentage:

* Quality and Reliability (41%)

* Vehicle Appeal (26%) includes performance, design, comfort, features

* Ownership Costs (18%) includes fuel consumption, insurance and costs of service/repair

* Dealer Service Satisfaction (16%)

The 2004 study finds that overall customer ratings for vehicle Quality and Reliability fall for the first time since 2001, dropping five index points. Commenting on this, Rob Aherne, editor of What Car? magazine explains; "The proof of any car’s performance is in feedback from its owner, and it’s worrying that car owners are less happy with the quality and reliability of their cars than they used to be. Carmakers should certainly take these kinds of fluctuations seriously in order to meet their customers’ expectations."

Ratings for Vehicle Appeal increased by eight points and both Ownership Costs and Service Satisfaction improved by seven points.

The annual J.D. Power and Associates study is designed to help manufacturers provide high levels of satisfaction to their customers, and gives consumers access to reliable and accurate information about as many different vehicles as possible.

The European headquarters of J.D. Power and Associates is located in Guildford, UK.
J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm’s world headquarters is in Westlake Village, California, USA.

What Car? is the car buyer’s bible with one-in-four new-car buyers referring to the magazine before buying a new car. Launched in 1973, What Car? magazine is read by 1.2 million people each month. What Car? also produces the What Car? Road Test Directory, What Car? Used Car Price Guide and www.whatcar.com . The full results of the study are published exclusively in the June issue of What Car?, on sale Tuesday 20 April, 2004.

Click here for J.D. Power League Table 2004